About

About Us

The Shoalhaven Youth Orchestra was founded in 2000, and has inspired and encouraged its players ever since. Some members of the orchestra have gone on to study music at tertiary level, and even to make careers out of performing and teaching music. Others have simply enjoyed their time playing music together and learned as much in social and other skills as in musicianship. Now a NSW creative kids provider.

From toddler classes to senior orchestra

SYO offers students a pipeline from beginning music education as a toddler, right up to refining their ensemble and performance skills in the senior orchestra. Maestro John Dunstan works hard to give students an engaging experience with an eclectic mix of traditional and contemporary music.

Players develop skills that will advance not only their musicianship but all their educational endeavours. The key here is ensemble playing which, calling as it does for coordination with others to produce the right result, is an excellent life skill.

Tuning In! is the music education program of SYO. Trained music educators conduct various classes for children aged between 2 and 12 in Nowra and Berry. The program develops basic musical skills as well as allowing children to try out, and begin to learn, all the instruments of the orchestra.

The Shoalhaven Youth Orchestra maintains a full inventory of orchestral instruments available for hire.

Trained musicians are better at paying attention

Whether your child is the next Beyonce or more likely to sing her solos in the shower, she is bound to benefit from some form of music education. Research shows that learning the do-re-mis can help children excel in ways beyond the basic ABCs.

Thank You to our Supporters in 2018

Shoalhaven Youth Orchestra organising committee and the players of Shoalhaven Youth Orchestra and Shoalhaven Junior Strings would like to sincerely thank all our supporters in 2018. We could not run without your assistance.

The Benefits of Music Education

Whether your child is the next Beyonce or more likely to sing her solos in the shower, she is bound to benefit from some form of music education. Research shows that learning the do-re-mis can help children excel in ways beyond the basic ABCs.